1. Field of the Inventions
The embodiments disclosed herein are directed generally to devices and methods for protecting livestock. In particular, the described embodiments relate to a protective garment for livestock, such as horses, to protect livestock from undesirable external elements, including insects and sunlight.
2. Description of Related Art
Some livestock are grazing and working animals and naturally spend much of their time outside. Horses, for example, typically spend time outside grazing, working, training, or being ridden by a rider. Even horses that primarily live in shelter structure, such as a stable or barn, are often exposed to external elements, such as insects and sunlight, when removed from the shelter or, in some cases, within the shelter itself. Accordingly, livestock, such as horses, are often exposed to external elements to which livestock are for the most part unprotected from.
Insects pose a nuisance and, in some cases, a health threat to livestock. Stable and house flies are some of the most common types of insects that are attracted to horses. The stable fly, for instance, attaches to a horse's skin often on the front legs of the horse or about its shoulders, and feeds on the horse's blood. Ticks and mosquitoes also pose a considerable threat to horses. Ticks spread Lyme disease and other maladies, while mosquitoes transmit West Nile Virus and equine encephalitis.
In addition, horses are exposed to other undesirable elements, such as harmful direct sunlight. Horses, like humans, can be inflicted with sunburn if exposed to the sun for a sufficient period of time. Equine sunburn is particularly problematic on sensitive areas of a horse and on light-haired horses, such as Appaloosas, Paints, and Pintos. Equine sunburn causes swelling, blisters, hair loss, and, in extreme cases, colic or liver damage. Hairless patches of a horse, including skin covering the shoulder blades, are particularly susceptible to sunburn. Moreover, some horses exhibiting photosensitization may develop an extremely negative reaction to sunlight, which would otherwise be benign in ordinary horses.
Insecticides are used to repel certain insects. However, insecticides have several drawbacks. For example, chemicals present in some insecticides harm a horse or other livestock if the chemicals seep into a food or water supply. In addition, application and reapplication of insecticides can be cumbersome for one who cares for horses. Furthermore, pesticides generally do not protect livestock from other damaging elements, such as harmful direct sunlight.
Known garments for livestock also have considerable limitations. For instance, existing protective garments, such as leg coverings, only protect the lower portion of a horse's leg. Protection from the fetock (i.e., ankle) to the carpus (i.e., knee) only covers the cannon bone (i.e., shin) area of a horse's leg. Horses move naturally with four basic gaits: the walk, the trot, the canter, and the gallop. Therefore, leg coverings should not impede the ability of a horse to walk, trot, canter, or gallop.
Further, as mentioned above, the typical covering for horses only covers the lower part of the horse's leg. Unfortunately, the hide on horses higher up towards the shoulder is also particularly sensitive to insect bites and the like. A horse's skin about the shoulder is often less thick than cattle hide, which means that horses are even more susceptible to insect bites on locations other than the horse's leg. Thus, existing leg coverings for horses are generally ineffective at preventing insect bites in these sensitive locations.